The present invention relates generally to thickened and thinned character generating devices and more particularly to character generating devices for generating different thickness characters of outline fonts used in word processors and computer systems.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 59-210482 is a known reference describing such a character generating device that stores each character pattern as information indicating the positions of a plurality of representative points of strokes of a character pattern and as information indicating the thickness of each stroke at its representative points and determines data for each stroke between the representative points from co-ordinate information and outline data of a character pattern represented by strokes from the information on stroke thickness at the representative points to efficiently generate character patterns of various sizes.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 61-143792 discloses a character generating device that comprises a storage for storing information indicating positions of representative points of strokes of each character pattern, information indicating standard stroke thickness at the representative points and information indicating maximal stroke thickness and means for determining stroke data on connections of representative points from the co-ordinate information read from the storage and outline data of the character represented by the strokes from information indicating the standard thickness and the maximal thickness at the representative points.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 64-590 discloses another character generating device that is capable of converting character patterns (letters, symbols, pictures) stored in a storage into signals of characters, which are modified (enlarged/reduced or thickened/thinned or vertically extended/contracted) as desired through computer operations for generating vector signals from codes in a code memory and feature codes in a particular signal memory, merely by inputting a character signal for selecting a form and character and a parameter for selecting character form.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 4-136898 discloses another character generating device that is intended to modify a digital vector font for generating characters modified in line thickness of a stroke and characters each having a partially changed outline by using means for giving a relevant attribute to curve-to-line approximation data of a character outline and means for changing thickness of a stroke line and partially changing a character outline in accordance with the given attribute.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 4-24689 discloses a further character generating device that is capable of storing outline information indicating each character or graphic symbol in a storage and changing any outline by using means for reading-out the changeable outline information from the storage, means for changing the read-out outline information according to a modification content, means for correcting the changed outline information according to the modification content and means for outputting the corrected outline information.
As mentioned above, each conventional device for generating a thickened or thinned character requires treatment of a large number of data because the thickness of any character is changed in accordance with attributive information added to elements (points, line and curves) constituting an outline of each character and strokes constituting each character. This is a disadvantage common to the above-mentioned prior art devices.